25 May 2016
During a routine inspection
Oaklands provides accommodation for a maximum of 46 older adults who have nursing care needs and who may be living with dementia. There were 22 people living at the home at the time of the inspection and one of these people was in hospital. The home was divided into two units, but people were free to use all parts of the home.
The service has a registered manager who was present throughout the inspection. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
There were not enough staff available to meet people's requests for support in a timely manner. We had identified this at our last inspection, and the registered provider's action plan had not been effective at improving this situation.
People told us they felt safe living at the service. Staff were aware of how to recognise possible signs of abuse and the need to report any concerns.
Whilst most medicines were given safely we found that there were some improvements needed to the application and recording of topical medicines, such as creams. There were systems in place to monitor medication administration.
The staff had been provided with training about the Mental Capacity Act (2005) but could not explain how they put this into practice when supporting the people living at the service. Staff received basic training to ensure they were aware about safe care and some of the people’s individual needs.
Most people had their healthcare needs met and received support to maintain their nutritional and hydration needs. During our inspection we observed individual staff treating people with dignity and respect, however failing to provide people with meaningful occupation, company and autonomy showed that people were not consistently treated with respect.
People and their relatives gave us mixed feedback about the care provided. Everyone told us that staff were kind and caring and knew people well, however people told us the number of staff was not always adequate to meet people's needs well. Staff that we spoke with were enthusiastic about their role and could describe how people preferred to be supported.
There were very limited opportunities for people to join in with activities they liked, and which reduced the risk of them becoming socially isolated. People and their relatives all told us this was an area that needed improvement.
The service had ensured people maintained relationships with those who were important to them.
People living at the home and their relatives were aware of how to raise concerns and were confident that any concerns raised would be dealt with in a timely manner.
People, relatives, staff and health professionals were happy with how the service was managed. The registered manager had improved the quality monitoring of the service although this had not been entirely effective, and further work was needed.
You can see what action we told the provider to take at the back of the report.